Star Trek TNG: New Enemy
by raptor7435
Summary: as peace finally sets in in the galaxy, a new enemy from outside the galaxy threatens to break it.
1. Default Chapter

"Ops to Admiral Jade."

Admiral Jeremy Jade rolled over in his bed, ruffling his sheets. He prayed that he was only dreaming.

"Ops to Admiral Jade. Urgent, please respond."

Jade grunted and rolled back. He nudged his way slowly to his bedside desk, slapping the com panel. "Jade here," he growled.

"Sir, we've picked an urgent sub-space distress beacon coming from the Denab system. So far its nothing but static, but we're decoding it now, but the beacon is Starfleet in origin. It may be from–"

Jade's eyes opened alertly, but he remained under the covers. "The _Enterprise_," he finished. "Keep decoding it. I'm on my way, and Lieutenant," he continued as he rose from his bed. "Stop using run-on sentences. Jade out."

He threw back the covers and sat up on the bed, opening the bedside drawer containing his clean uniform, thinking _I hate Starfleet._

Admiral Jade strode into the large operations center, still half-asleep but in his uniform. Ops wasn't that lively at this time of night, but the Omega shift made it seem like it was morning. Each of the third-string shift officers were silently sitting at their stations, lively though unoccupied. One man, rookie Ensign Paddler, was the only one that seemed relatively tired. Either that, or he was sick of being on this shift. This was evident in the way he grabbed a steaming mug out of the second level replicator. He closed his eyes and took a sip out of the mug, but didn't seem satisfied with it. Nevertheless, he took it with him.

Jade strode down the stairs to the lower level of ops. He stole a glance out at the central viewscreen. The Trigon system's sun was just starting to appear from behind the primary planet in the system, casting a dark, ecliptic shadow over the planet and its one moon. It reminded Jade of the time of day, and he yawned. It was okay, though. The _Enterprise_ could be in trouble.

Lieutenant Irons, the middle-aged woman who's light voice had just recently woken him up, stepped forward to greet him. "Admiral, we've made some progress in the decoding. The signal isn't very long, but we've managed to carve out a few words, but no voice identification yet, but I'm sure it's the _Enterprise_." She turned her head to the panel next to her. "Computer, replay modified recording from start."

The computer made technical noises of acknowledgment. A second later, Irons's panel played the recording, which at first seemed to be nothing but static. However, as Jade listened more closer, he could faintly hear distant words amongst the noise. The voice was severely garbled, not even sounding human, pinched and mechanical by the contour of the transmission.

_...is is...uc Picard o...s..rprise...der att...cies...our e...omised...are...eed of...immediately...ny...p ca...ssist at...eat...please assist...urry......_

Static filled the speakers again. It continued for a few moments before the computer finished it.

Jade nodded. "I heard 'picard.' It has to be the _Enterprise_. They sound like they're in trouble; are there any otherships near that sector?" Jade knew that Starbase 23, here, was remote. No ships were docked, and none would be for another two weeks.

Irons tapped in commands on the panel. "No. The closest ship to the _Enterprise_'s last known position is the _U.S.S. Kaughlin_. It's a day away at warp eight."

The older human gently rubbed his beard with two fingers. The _Kaughlin_ was a _Galaxy_-class starship cataloguing a recently discovered comet near Wolf 234. There was something about that ship that was nagging the back of Jade's mind, but it had nothing to do with anything going on now.

So Jade forgot about it. "Ensign Lowmiller, transmit a sub-space message to the Captain the _U.S.S. Kaughlin_. Send them the entire distress signal, and ask them if they would kindly investigate it. Send them all data on the _Enterprise_'s mission in the Denab system, last known position, and the last time it reported to Starfleet."

"Aye, sir," the tall man responded.

"Speaking of which," Jade continued, turning back to Irons. "What _was_ the _Enterprise_'s mission in the Denab system?"

Irons once again checked the central panel. "Exploration. The Denab system was discovered by a probe one year ago. Charting planets and moons, searching for life, cataloguing any anomalies. That was the _Enterprise_'s initial mission."

Jade smirked and made a guttural noise, staring out the viewscreen as more of the sun peeked from behind Trigon. "With that ship's luck, its no wonder their in trouble again. What do you think they screwed up this time?" His sarcastic gaze fell on Irons, who looked down and smiled slightly. The other officers within earshot mimicked her, not seeming that amused at all by the sarcasm. Jade shrugged. He had tried.

One woman, a Vulcan science officer, Ensign T'Rik, responded to the off-hand remark by twisting her body away from her panel and blinked once, content, at Jade. "Excuse me, Admiral, but was your previous remark about the _Enterprise_ referring to the event known as the Rashanar Incident, when the _Enterprise_ fired on and destroyed what they thought was a matter imitation of the Ontailian flagship _Vuxhal_?" she asked dully.

Jade fixed her with a blank stare. He didn't like Vulcans. He couldn't understand how a species could simply _suppress_ and _not_ _use_ their emotions; Jade considered emotions to be an essential part of every species, man, woman, and child alike. They were a part of memories, a part of everyday living, a part of life itself. It was almost surreal how they could easily abandon the one part of themselves that often made a species what it was. "Yes, Ensign, but I was only being sarcastic. I have a great respect for Picard and the _Enterprise_."

The Vulcan raised a quizzical eyebrow. "Do you believe that Captain Picard was wrong to fire on the _Vuxhal_?" She said in a calm monotone.

"Ensign," Lieutenant Irons cautioned the Vulcan.

Klingons were aggressive, fearless, and bold. The Romulans were spiteful, intimidating, and confident. Cardassians were headstrong and ruthless; Tholians were quick and deadly; The Borg, though eerie in their own resilience, were cold-hearted and un-daunting. The Jem'Hadar, though relatively emotionless themselves, were still murderous butchers and conquering. Their emotions and attitudes made them what they were. Why couldn't Jade know what the Vulcans _were_. He could see, touch them, talk to them, but he could never tell what they were thinking; could never see how they reacted to certain things. It drove him crazy sometimes the blandness and dullness of their species.

Jade waved Irons off and smiled ever so slightly at T'Rik.

"I mean no aggravation, Admiral. I am simply curious." she continued, nevertheless aggravating Jade with her voice once again.

The Admiral stood tall. "Nonetheless, my opinions of Picard and his crew shouldn't matter now," he said, being careful with his words to her. "What _is_ important is that we find them. Even better if we find them safe and sound. Understood?"

Her neutral, aggravating, facial expression remained. "That is logical sir. Understood." The Vulcan rotated herself back to her post.

Logic. After years of several different posts, and several different Vulcan shipmates, Admiral Jade had come to hate that word.

Jade stepped to the central console. "Computer, bring up the star charts to sector 064. Highlight the Denab system." The computer activated the monitor in front of Jade, following his exact commands. In a moment, a star chart of the remote Denab system appeared, eleven red blips and one white blip on a black and yellow grid. Jade was about to give the computer another command, when he suddenly felt sleep tugging at his sinuses and, on top of that, his entire head.

"To hell with it." He switched off the computer monitor. "The _Kaughlin_ can handle the rest of this search." He yawned. "I'm going back to bed, Lieutenant."

The Admiral started back for the turbolift. But as he reached the top of the stairs, he stopped. The back of his mind began to nag at him again. There was something about the _Kaughlin_ that was keeping his mind occupied.

"Lieutenant?" He asked, spinning on his heels to face her. He thought long and hard about how to phrase his next question. "Did the _Kaughlin_ ever have another name?"

Irons's brandy-brown eye blinked. Her body language said that she had been caught off guard significantly. "Um, I...don't know sir. Would you like me to check?"

"If you would please, Lieutenant. It's bothering me."

"Aye, sir." She swiftly entered the commands. "Hmm," she said after a moment. "Yes, sir, it did have another name. It was originally registered as the _U.S.S. Daniel Kaughlin _NCC-5881. The name was changed to just the _U.S.S._ _Kaughlin_ on Stardate 4456.7." She grinned at the monitor. "Apparently, StarFleet thought the name was too long."

"Ah," Jade said simply. "The _Daniel Kaughlin. _Daniel Kaughlin..." The name sounded quite familiar, but Jade couldn't place it.

Irons took the hint. "Daniel Kaughlin was the Hero at Brita III, a turning point battle in the Earth-Romulan War of 2162. Captain Kaughlin's ship, the _Intrepid_, held off an entire squadron of Romulan battlecruisers while the colony on Brita III was evacuated."

Jade's mind finally recognized the same. "That's right. Daniel Kaughlin. Is that spelled C-o-u-  
g-h-l-i-n?"

The woman shook her close-cropped red hair without looking at the monitor. "No, sir. It's spelled K-a-u-g-h-l-i-n. Also, I think it's pronounced Kay-lin, with a silent "u."

Jade smiled graciously at Irons, now understanding what his mind was telling him. "Thank you Lieutenant. Good night."

Irons returned the smile. "Good night, sir."

The Admiral entered the turbolift. "Crew quarters," he ordered the computer. The turbolift hummed to life and moved. Jade's mind was still on the name Daniel Kaughlin. But not the one Irons had talked uselessly about. The Daniel Coughlin he was thinking about with spelled with the C-o-u. That Daniel had served under Jade when he was a Commander on post at Deep Space Seven. Good, young officer.

_Why am I thinking about these things?_ He thought as the turbolift switched shafts. _From lack of sleep, probably._

As the thought of Daniel disappeared and sleep began to get the best of him again, another good, young officer took his place is Jade's mind.

_I hope my son is having a better day than I am. _


	2. Peace

"Riker to Lieutenant Jade."

Lieutenant Charles Jade grunted and squeezed his eyelids together tiredly. _Who is that_? He asked himself.

"Riker to Lieutenant Jade," said the same voice, its tone sharpening a level. Jade began to stir, re-playing the voice in his head. He eyes snapped open in an instant. The room around him was dark and quiet.

Jade looked around nervously. "Captain Riker's voice and my room is dark. I had better be hearing things." He waited.

"Captain Riker to Lieutenant Jade!" the voice shouted.

"Damn it!" Jade whispered sharply. He rolled over in bed and slapped his bedside com panel. "Jade here, sir!" he grunted desperately. "I'm sorry, sir. I...um," he stammered for an excuse. He couldn't say he hadn't set the duty alarm. That was impossible, it was automatically set the moment the officer went to sleep. Jade had secretly bypassed the alarm systems automatic settings and had disabled his alarm unit, confident he could wake himself up and be at his post on time without need for the alarm. For the last week, he had been successful at it. Up until today.

"I..." Jade continued to stammer.

Riker's deep voice spoke sternly but benign. "I don't know how they do things on the _Archer, _Mr. Jade. But on my ship, you are to be at your post on time. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir," Jade responded. "It'll never happen again. I'm on my way. Jade out." _No_, he thought. _It won't. _The alarm would have to be returned to normal. Riker was a seasoned officer with years of experience learning from DeSoto and then Picard, the latter being Jade's idol, and probably the best officer in StarFleet. He was a capable commander with a stern will and an almost stubborn command style. But he was an unyielding man of duty, like Picard.

Jade threw back his covers and opened his uniform compartment, heaving the black and gray garment out fo its neat fold. As Jade undressed and slipped into it, his mind also slipped into a garment of thought. Only one.

_I hate StarFleet_.

Jade speedily walked out of the turbolift, keeping his head down as he walked, all the way until he got to his post. He didn't acknowledge anyone. Not the helmsmen, not science officer Lieutenant Commander Carrie Sanders, who he had a crush on, not Commander Durhop, and not the Captain. A mistake that got him noticed, though he would have been noticed either way, considering he was the last of the bridge crew to show up at his Chief of Security post. Fifteen minutes after he was supposed to.

"Good morning, Mr. Jade," Riker said from his chair. Jade looked up to see Riker staring back at him, a twinkle in his eye, and a tight smile on his face. _He almost _looks_ like Picard doing that_. "Did you sleep well last night?"

"Good morning, Captain," Jade responded. He looked towards the ops console to see if Carrie was listening. She was. He looked back at Captain Riker, very nervous. _Why does he have to do this? _"Yes, I slept very well last night. Thank you for asking, sir." He stole a glance back at Carrie. She was smiling at him and rolling her eyes. Then she turned back to her console.

"You dream at all last night?" Riker asked in a teasing manner.

"Yes, sir. A lot. It was an eventful night." Jade's mind raced as he concentrated on making sure Carrie wasn't watching, and, at the same time, thinking up of an excuse, or, for lack of a better term, a lie to save his butt from being roasting by Captain Riker. Because sooner or later, he was bound to ask about the–

"Ah," he continued. "So did those dreams prevent your duty alarm from waking you? They shouldn't, but did they?"

Alarm. That stupid alarm Jade had disabled. However, just as he was about to panic at answering the question, the excuse–lie, rather–he had been trying to think of finally came to him.

The Security Chief straightened and talked directly to his Captain. ""No, sir, they did not." He faked concealment. "The alarm didn't go off, sir."

Riker suddenly got serious. "Didn't go off? Lieutenant, they all go off. Their programmed to."

Jade continued his act. So far, he hadn't noticed Counselor Troi the Betazoid, sitting on the bridge staring at him like Riker. "I know sir. But the one where I was...um...the one where I was staying last night...a-and woke this morning, rings on Delta shift," Jade said, looking down to help further the act. "Sir," he finished.

Riker looked confused for a moment, but then his expression changed to one of realization and understanding. "I see." He nodded, looking away for a moment before refocusing on Jade. "You did say the night was...eventful."

Jade smiled wryly and nodded. "Aye, sir."

Riker inhaled and slowly turned his glance from Jade, his gaze falling on his wife, Counselor Troi, who Jade now finally noticed. His alarm escalated upon seeing her, the telepath. Troi returned his gaze with a professional one for only a second before nodding to Captain Riker. Jade and Troi then exchanged glances again. This time, Troi had a much more motherly expression–the kind a mother used when she suspected that her kids were lying.

_She knows_, Jade thought. He stole another glance at Carrie. She was still looking at her panel, but Jade could see a small crease where the edge of her lips were. She was grinning. She probably knew too.

He exhaled. _Maybe she thinks I'm acting cute_. Jade stared down at his dull and boring Security panel as his saw her gorgeous, freckled face in his mind. He found himself staring at the back of her head again.

From the helm console came a shrill but innocent pulse. "We're approaching Raldon Prime, Captain," said the helmsman. "Sensors show two Romulan warbirds in stationary orbit, the _Val'dur_ and the _Rom'luk_. We're five thousand kilometers away from them."

Riker and Troi exchanged glances of recognition. "Take us out of warp, Ensign," Riker ordered. "Put us in stationary orbit next the Romulans, half impulse." He turned to Troi. "At least we know one of them. Put the warbirds on screen, Commander."

"Aye, sir," Carrie Sanders responded. Jade briefly eyed her. _She had such a pretty voice_, Her fingers danced gracefully on her console. The main viewscreen switched on. The dense red planet Raldon Prime appeared in the background, lit up by flashes of lightning from numerous gas storms. The two warbirds the helmsman–Ensign Ber'tat, a Benzite–had mentioned earlier were shadowing the red planet, unmoving in space.

Ber'tat dropped the _Titan _out of warp and proceeded on towards the warbirds.

Jade's console beeped, drawing his attention back to it instead of Sanders. "We're being hailed, sir," he reported. "By the _Val'dur_."

Riker stood up and straightened his uniform. "On screen, Lieutenant."

Jade pressed an orange button on his console. The main viewscreen switched from Raldon Prime to the bridge of the warbird _Val'dur_. It was a small, round chamber that resembled the bridge of a _Sovereign_-class Federation starship, like Picard's ship, the _Enterprise-_ESitting in the center chair on the Romulan bridge was the most beautiful Romulan woman Jade had ever seen. Her face was covered with amazingly pretty features, from the blushes in her smooth cheeks to the fullness of her lips. Like other Romulans, the way she sat demanded order, with her thin body fully upright in the chair. Her jet-black hair was close-cropped on her head militarily, with her side burns ending in V-shaped tips at her earlobes.

The Romulan Commander smiled warmly, her jungle-green eyes bright. "This is–" She suddenly stopped speaking as she laid eyes on Captain Riker, her expression one of delightful surprise. "Commander Riker–_Captain_ Riker." She paused momentarily. "I didn't expect to see you again so soon." She smiled apologetically. "Forgive me, I forgot that StarFleet had given you a command."

Riker grinned. "Believe me, you're not the first to say that, Commander Donatra, even though I did tell you at our dinner aboard the _Enterprise_."

The Romulan smiled humorously. From outside Jade's eyesight came the noise of someone clearing their throat in a manner that said "get on with it!" Commander Donatra acknowledged the alleged person and then focused back on Captain Riker, her expression completely neutral. "Captain Riker, may I introduce you to Thanor Talpoldar, Praetor of the Romulan Imperial Senate."

At the same time that she was speaking, Praetor Talpoldar stepped forward onto the viewscreen. He was a tall, intimidating man with a muscular physique. His face was round and undeniably thin; his cheek bones were somewhat visible through his skin. The icy-blue eyes were cold and held an unbreakable stare that Jade had a harm time looking at. His nose was V-shaped like his and Donatra's sideburn tips. The graying man's stature was one that demanded respect and worship. Gray and green Praetor robes were draped in levels around his body, touching the metal bridge deck beneath his feet.

Riker bowed his head in respect. "Greetings Praetor. On behalf of StarFleet, I greet you as a friend and ally."

Talpoldar bowed his head in return. "Thank you, Captain Riker. On behalf of the Romulan Empire, I greet you as a friend and ally. I also graciously thank you and Captain Picard for your assistance in the defeat of Schinzon. You fought valiantly, and for a Empire that, at the time, resented you. You and Captain Picard have earned the respect the gratitude of the Romulan Empire."

Jade almost snickered. _Boy, _That _sounded sincere_.

But if Riker noticed the same thing Jade had, he didn't let on to it. "Thank you Praetor Talpoldar. But Lieutenant Commander Data deserves a majority of that thanks. He gave his life to protect both the Federation and the Romulan Empire. I served with him. He was one of the finest officer's in the Federation."

"Yes," Talpoldar responded blandly. "The Empire will never forget Commander Data's sacrifice. He was a noble man. Our hearts go out to all of StarFleet for your loss."

Riker bowed his head again in thanks.

Talpoldar took a step forward and clasped his hands behind his back. "Pardon my asking, Captain, but where are President Bacco and Ambassador Spock?"

Riker's entire face tightened to a professional look as he answered. "Yes, I know. My apologies, Praetor. I called them to the bridge nearly ten minutes ago. I don't know why they're not up here yet."

As if on cue, the aft turbolift doors swished open. One Vulcan man and a human woman rushed onto the bridge, their ceremonial robes whipping behind them. Riker twisted, somewhat surprised and relieved. He immediately turned back to Talpoldar. "Speak of the devils," he joked. He then cleared his throat as the two alien flanked him. "Praetor Talpoldar, may I introduce you to Nanietta Bacco, recently elected President of the United Federation of Planets, and her aide in these negotiations, Ambassador Spock of Vulcan."

The two Federation delegates bowed their heads.

Talpoldar returned the gesture. "Greetings Madam President. On behalf of the Romulan Empire, I welcome you to these negotiations. I hope to put an end to our years of aggression of resentment."

Bacco smiled warmly at him. "Greetings Praetor. On behalf of the United Federation of Planet's, I humbly accept your welcome. I too hope to end all those years of aggression and resentment. And my most _humble_ apologies for our being late to this greeting." She spoke to Riker. "Captain, I believe the alarm system on board this ship is malfunctioning. Mine did not wake me when I programmed it to. Nor did Ambassador Spocks."

Jade's eyes widened and he looked down momentarily. He thought he had only turned his off.

"I'm sorry, Madam President," Riker apologized. "I'll have my Chief Engineer look into it as soon as we're finished here."

"Please do, Captain," Bacco responded.

Jade looked around the bridge, nervously. His eyes locked with Counselor Troi's, who gave him an icy and all-knowing look. Jade acknowledged her with a slight smile, then forced his eyes away from her. The Captain was looking at the viewscreen.

Talpoldar took another step forward on the Romulan bridge. "Madam President, we would be honored if you and Ambassador Spock will dine with us here this evening on the _Val'dur_. I understand from Commander Donatra that the chefs here are preparing a delightful meal for us tonight."

"We would be honored, Praetor," Bacco responded.

Talpoldar nodded. His eyes darted over to the human. "Captain Riker, you are also invited to attend. You may bring a companion for the evening if you choose."

Riker smiled. "I'd be delighted, Praetor."

Talpoldar nodded again. "Good." He gestured to the woman directly behind him. "Commander Donatra will inform you of the dinner time." He re-clasped his hands in front of him now. "Until dinner, Madam President, Ambassador, Captain. Talpoldar out." The screen went blank.

Jade now decided whether he should speak and risk attracting attention to himself about that alarm system, or just keep quiet and see if he wouldn't be noticed. The President and Ambassador Spock looked like they would keep him busy. But what about Counselor Troi? He decided to take a chance.

"Permission to speak freely, Captain?" he called to Riker.

All eyes, including both Troi's and Sanders, turned to him.

"Permission granted, Lieutenant," Riker said cautiously.

Jade jabbed his index finger at the viewscreen. "Did anyone else notice that he didn't smile throughout that entire conversation?"

Captain Riker stuck out his chin, and Jade thought he was about to get lectured. But then one corner of his mouth twisted into a smirk. "You're very observant Mr. Jade." He paused momentarily. "And out of place to say something like that about the leader of an Empire. It's an attitude like that that might land you on another ship."

Jade swallowed and nodded curtly. "Aye, sir. I'm sorry. It won't happen again." _Okay, that didn't work so well._

"Good." Riker turned to his wife. "So what did you get from him?"

Troi sat up straight and sighed thoughtfully. "Well, he's very by-the-book, needless to say. But I also sensed some form of uneasiness, almost to the point of resentment."

President Bacco nodded. "He definently sees us as untrustworthy."

Ambassador Spock clasped his hands in front of him, similar to the gesture Talpoldar had done several times during the conversation. "A logical assumption, Madam President. But I believe that it my presence here as a Vulcan is the primary cause to Praetor Talpoldar's uneasiness. Would you not agree, Counselor Troi?" He gazed over at her.

Bacco frowned at him. "Nonsense, Ambassador Spock," she said before Troi could respond. "You and your people are one of the founding members of the Federation. If the Romulans and the Federation are to sign a peace treaty, then they must learn to respect the Vulcans as an ally. It is the only way we can achieve a strong and steady peace."

_True, true_, Jade thought. _Unlikely to happen, but true_.

Spock frowned. "Wise words Madam President, but a false hope, I am afraid. Vulcans and Romulans have been natural enemies for nearly five centuries. Forcing us and them to suddenly become allies would be highly illogical and ill-advised. The issue could dismantle these entire negotiations. I request that I not be included."

Bacco stood confidently, reminding Jade of Captain Picard. "Did racial issues stop the Klingon's and the Federation from achieving peace?" She paused. "Did they stop the Vulcans and the Andorians from becoming allies? Ambassador, every species in this galaxy has its problems with each other. _That_ is inevitable. What matters is that at one point we are able to go past our differences. And stand alongside each other as friends. That is the goal of everything the Federation stands for and defends. The Klingons and the Federation have achieved that goal. Now it's the Romulan's time."

Spock considered this for a moment.

Jade stared at the President with skepticism. He, too, wanted to see peace with the Romulans, but he knew it would never happen. They were too unpredictable, too untrustworthy. _No!_ Jade scolded himself. That's not what Captain Picard would believe if he were here. He would have hope. Even the Romulans deserve hope. Jade scolded himself again. That was a racist statement.

"A inspirational message, Madam President," Spock finally said. "But I am still skeptical." He paused. "Nevertheless, peace cannot be ignored when it presents itself."

Bacco smiled very warmly.

As did Captain Riker. "A logical statement, Your Excellency." His smile widened. "Excuse me, Madam President, Ambassador." He twisted slightly to the opposite of them, and tapped his combadge. "Riker to Bewwing."

As the Captain gave the Chief Engineer an order to run a diagnostic on the alarm system, Jade stole a quick glance at both Counselor Troi and Carrie Sanders. The Counselor gave him the icy, all-knowing look again, and Carrie just smiled innocently at him. He grinned playfully at his crush. _Boy, did I screw this up_, he thought at the same time.


	3. Hunters

Commodore Sawwo gripped the arms of his command chair nervously. His snow-white eyes danced around the bridge of the mercenary starship _Tae'kara_ in anticipation. For what was still unknown. The Commodore braced himself for bad news and held her breath for good news. And the nebula that filled his ship's viewscreen wasn't helping to calm her down.

The bleak red eyes of Commander Wedkot lay mesmerized on a small console, frantically scanning the information flooding onto it. Sawwo look into the corners of those eyes, watching their reflection of the light from the console.

Then, they suddenly twinkled with excitement. "I'm in!" Wedkot called.

Sawwo exhaled a breath she'd been holding in. "Good. What's it say?" She held her breath again.

"Damn it!" Wedkot shouted immediately. "The _Enterprise_'s signal got through to Starbase 23."

Sawwo pounded his right fist on the armrest. The Beldin hissed angrily.

"StarFleet _has_ dispatched a ship to investigate," Wedkot continued. "It's the _U.S.S....Ka...._," he voice trailed off. Wedkot leaned in and squinted at the console, his mouth open in a "o" that changed shape constantly as he tried to pronounce the ship's name. "The _U.S.S.........Kaughlin. _I think that's how that's pronounced." His eyes continued scanning the console. "It's a _Galaxy_-class starship. Very well armed. Eight phaser banks, and a full compliment of–"

Sawwo rolled his eyes in disgust. "Save me your warnings, Till," he interrupted. "I need to think." His eyes darted in all directions, a pet peeve of his when he was worried. StarFleet was making this first job very difficult. Sawwo's client was waiting, and the Commodore still had a few days to complete his job and get his payment. But at the rate this mission was going, getting to his rendevous on time was proving to be more arduous by the hour. The _Enterprise_ had been hard enough to deal with. The damned ship had all but disabled the _Tae'kara_'s warp engines, that is before the _Tae'kara_ cut the mighty ship's main power and left it adrift. An idea for these new circumstances was already in his head, but there was a thirty-seventy chance that it would work.

Nevertheless. "Sawwo to Brix."

A moment. "Brix here," a frustrated female voice responded. "Shut up you two!" she shouted to the other people near her down in engineering.

"What part's do you need again?"

Brix groaned irritably. "I need one hundred kilograms of warp plasma, two plasma injectors to control that warp plasma, and three warp coils."

"Is that it?" Sawwo asked.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Would a _Galaxy_-class Federation starship have all that on board it?"

"Yeah. It should. Why?" Brix repeated.

Sawwo forced a small smile onto his face. _At least it's worth trying_. "StarFleet has sent a ship out here to investigate the disappearance of the _Enterprise_," he explained. "It's a _Galaxy_ starship called the" Sawwo hesitated as he tried to remember the name of the ship. Then it hit him. "_Kaughlin_. It'll be here in a few hours. I was thinking we could get the parts from it."

"Attack a _Galaxy_-class starship?" Brix exclaimed. "You're kidding right?"

Sawwo glared at the com device. "No, I'm not."

"A _Galaxy_-class starship, Sawwo?" the engineer said in disbelief. "We're no match for that. They'd pick us off in two shots!"

Sawwo moaned in aggravation. His pride and hope in his idea was steadily declining. As much as he wanted to shoot his Androssi engineer, the woman was right. Still, he persisted. "We'd only need to get three shots off. Two to disable their engines, one to disable their shields. We then beam a boarding party over, led by you, to get the parts we need." Sawwo could just feel Brix's refusal.

"Forget it!" she said immediately. "There are over three hundred security personnel on that ship. We'd never stand a chance. Uh-uh."

Sawwo growled. "I don't remember _asking_ you 'yes' or 'no.' I'm _ordering_ you to board the _Kaughlin_, Brix."

"No!" she shouted defiantly. "You're crazy! I have a choice whether I want to risk my life, Sawwo, and I choose–!"

"This isn't a democracy," Sawwo cut him off. "You're going. That's final. Sawwo out." He switched the com panel off. His breathing had heightened to a hiss out his nostrils. He caught Wedkot staring at him.

"What are you looking at, big nose?" Sawwo snapped at the Tellarite. "Do _you_ have an objection too?"

Wedkot snorted. "No. I was just admiring your leadership skills."

Sawwo growled. "Do you have a problem with my 'leadership skills' Mr. Wedkot?"

Wedkot turned away from him. "I just said no."

Sawwo should have shot him right then and there. He should have shot Brix weeks ago. By now, most of his crew should've been shot dead for insubordination. But Sawwo was just starting out as a mercenary, and he was getting paid big for this first transport job. And the _Tae'kara_ was running on what would be considered a skeleton crew, so everyone on board was a valuable asset, no matter how rebellious they were. Sawwo still wanted to shoot them though.

"Good!" the Beldin spat at Wedkot. "Then I _order_ you to get me a schematic of the _Kaughlin_. Floor plans, engine schematics, hull details, essential systems and their locations, everything!" He shifted right in his seat. "Helm, plot an intercept course to the _Enterprise_, full impulse and go."

The Ekosian helmsman hesitated, then proceeded to plot a course.

Sawwo knew Brix's and Wedkot's warnings about the _Kaughlin _had definite validation. Attacking a _Galaxy_-class ship was no laughing matter. The only way to bring a ship like that down was to surprise it, for the _Tae'kara _was no where near as powerful as a fully- armed Federation starship like the _Kaughlin_. A direct attack would never work. But Sawwo already had a plan formulating in his mind about how to get what he wanted, but he would need a few more things to put his plan into action.

"We need to borrow a few things from our old friend Picard." He paused. "One last thing, Mr. Wedkot. Open a secure channel to the Employer as soon as they will allow it."


	4. Encounter

"Outpost log, supplemental. The trade negotiations with the Terroanians are complete. They have given us full access to the foodstuffs and titanium markets on their homeworld. The extra foodstuffs should greatly help the Federation's relief efforts on planet's ravaged during the Dominion War. Ambassador Telek has been a milestone during all this, and I admire him as much as any other Ambassador in the Federation. We are now preparing for our first shipment of foodstuffs from Terro."

Commander Giles paused for a moment of thought. He could say a thousand other good things about Ambassador Telek, but this was the official log, not Giles's personal log. And everything official had already been said.

"Computer, end log." A mechanical sound, and the log closed.

Commander Giles leaned back in his seat, sighing deeply and stretching out his arms. It had been a long day, but it had ended well. _Time to celebrate again. _Giles lifted himself out of his chair and hurried over to the replicator on the opposite side of his office. "Saurian brandy," he ordered the computer. A swirl of energy and matter combined inside the small chamber, and a chestnut-colored glass was formed, filled with carbonating brandy. Giles pick ed it up and took in a mouthful. His tongue tingled. Giles swallowed, and then his throat tingled.

"Anderson to Giles. You better get out here. Long range sensors have picked up a Borg cube entering our system."

The sip Giles was taking suddenly turned sour. "On my way." He dropped the mug back into the chamber, where the matter reclamator made it vanish. The Commander rushed out into operations.

"Where is it now?" he asked immediately.

Lieutenant Commander Brian Anderson was hunched over his console. "It just crossed our border, bearing 189 Mark 4. ETA one minute, seven seconds."

"Red alert!" Giles ordered. "All hands to battle stations." The once-peaceful operations chamber suddenly became filled with the sounds of blaring klaxons and a dozen flashing red lights. Giles marched over to Anderson. "Issue the evacuation order, and tell them to hurry. Only what they can carry."

"Aye, sir."

"Fifty seconds to intercept."

Giles moved to the tactical console. "Target the cube as soon as you can and fire at will."

"Yes, sir."

Giles stood to his full height. And waited in excitement and anticipation. He had never dealt with the Borg before, but had heard enough about them to be very afraid at that moment. His heart beat faster than the seconds counting down on the viewscreen of the ops center.

"Thirty seconds to intercept."

Giles gulped, and waited.


End file.
